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Billy Boys originated in the 1920s as the signature tune of the Brigton Boys, also called The Billy Boys of Brigton Cross, who were a Protestant street gang in the Bridgeton area of Glasgow, led by Billy Fullerton.[3] The gang often clashed with Roman Catholic gangs such as the Norman Conks. Fullerton was a former member of the British Fascists who was awarded a medal for strike-breaking during the 1926 General Strike and formed a Glasgow branch of the British Union of Fascists with the onset of World War II.[4][5] The song's geographic roots relate to Bridgeton Cross in Bridgeton, an area of Glasgow historically associated with the city's Protestant population, and with Scottish unionism. Brigton is the Scots form of Bridgeton. The Billy Boys song was often sung loudly when the gang performed it. They regularly sang it when they marched through primarily Catholic areas of Glasgow on Catholic holy days. This often led to the Brigton Boys being attacked by members of the Norman Conks as a result.[6] Despite being primarily based in Glasgow, in the 1930s the Brigton Boys were invited to march in Belfast and sang Billy Boys while they were there as part of The Twelfth celebrations.[7]

The Brigton Boys and their youth wing, the Derry Boys, started to attend association football matches in the late 1920s and early 1930s. During this time, they attended Rangers matches and Rangers fans started to sing the Billy Boys song as part of a perceived affiliation with the Brigton Boys.[3]

Despite Percy Sillitoe, the Chief Constable of Glasgow, eradicating the razor gangs in Glasgow and most young Protestants joining the Orange Order instead of the remaining gangs, Rangers fans continued to sing the Billy Boys in tribute to Fullerton as he still retained a prominent position among Glasgow Protestants even after the gangs had disbanded.[8] The Orange Order then adopted the "Billy Boys" song and changed the lyrics to be played on Orange walks, with the references to Billy being altered to refer to King William III of England, Scotland and Ireland.[9]

The song was at the centre of a controversy surrounding "ninety-minute bigots", an expression allegedly coined by former Rangers chairman Sir David Murray: "Ninety-minute Bigots do not hold beliefs but nonetheless sing songs at football matches which are sectarian, simply to join in with the rest of the crowd."[13] Rangers have adopted several measures to tackle this behaviour including attempts to bring older Rangers songs back into popular use, with Murray speaking out against the singing of the "Billy Boys" on many occasions.[14] In 2006, Rangers were charged by UEFA for discriminatory chanting over the singing of "Billy Boys" during a UEFA Champions League game against Villarreal. Rangers were found not guilty due to "Billy Boys" having been sung for years without the SFA or the Scottish government intervening against it and ruled that it was tolerated as a social and historic song.[15] However, after an appeal where they were warned, Rangers were ordered by UEFA to make a public announcement at all home games, prohibiting the singing of the song[16] despite UEFA admitting they were unable to do anything about it because it was a Scottish social issue.[17] In 2011, "Billy Boys" was included in a list of chants that had been banned from Scottish football grounds as part of new legislation from the Scottish government. It was specifically banned because of its "Up to our knees in Fenian blood" line.[18] It was banned because it was decided by the Scottish government that "Fenian" in the context of the song meant Roman Catholics and was thus sectarian despite Rangers fans stating that it meant Irish republicans or fans of their Old Firm rivals, Celtic.[19]

The Billy Boys song has also been used in Northern Ireland, which may have arisen as a result of the Brigton Boys' march in Belfast.[7] It is often used by supporters of Belfast club Linfield[22] due to historic links with Rangers as "Blues Brothers".[23]

The song was sung in 2013 by supporters of the Northern Ireland national football team during their match against Luxembourg at Stade Josy Barthel in protest against the Northern Ireland team anthem, God Save the Queen, not being played at the Irish Cup final.[24] In April 2014, the Irish Football Association (IFA) introduced punishments for "any ... song or chant that is undeniably sectarian or offensive".[1] Linfield advised their supporters that this included all variations of Billy Boys, including the Marching Through Georgia tune.[1] The IFA based their decision on the precedent from the UEFA decision regarding Billy Boys and Rangers in 2006.[25] There was doubt expressed by fans as to how the IFA would enforce the ban on the Marching Through Georgia tune if it was used in a song other than Billy Boys.[26]